


Love After Loss

by When_The_Cicadas_Die



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Non-Chronological, Reverse Lovesquare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22376704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/When_The_Cicadas_Die/pseuds/When_The_Cicadas_Die
Summary: [29/9/20: Rebranded & No longer a series of separate works to avoid confusion]Marinette juggles many responsibilities in her daily life. As Ladybug, she's often viewed as perfect and flawless, saving the day with her sharp wit and skill. It's only inevitable when she stumbles, her judgement clouded, and makes a fatal mistake. On that day, Ladybug disappears from Paris, and Adrien Agreste is presumed dead. Marinette has no choice but to resume her role as Multimouse, with Chat Noir back at her side. The only issue is that Chat can never go back to his life as Adrien. He can never let Marinette know the truth of that day. The two live a messy life of lies and each day they yearn for those lost. However, as their bond grows, they begin to see each other in a brand new light and may very well learn that it's okay to make room in their hearts for someone else.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54





	1. Moving On

Marinette released a breathy huff as she collided with the Dupain-Cheng’s balcony rooftop, sweat dripping from her forehead. Crumpling to her knees, the transformation dropped the second she fell. It had been another close call; if a few more seconds had passed before she returned home, a civilian would have surely seen her secret identity. “Ugh...” She groaned lightly, running a palm down her face. An equally tired grunt came from the kwami who had been spat back out of the miraculous.

“It just keeps getting harder and harder,” she mumbled. Of course, the little magical mouse didn’t want to make Marinette feel any worse, and normally she would never complain to her owner. However, the stress of the increasingly difficult fights brought on by Hawkmoth and Mayura were starting to get to her, too.

“Eat up, Mullo.” Marinette dug into the small bag hanging over her shoulder, and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie for the little one. She held it out, which Mullo gratefully grabbed and immediately began nibbling on. “I just need to call Alya and let her know I’m safe… Then we’re back out there.”

“Shouldn’t we ask her for help, too?” Mullo sheepishly suggested, in between bites of her cookie.

Marinette pulled herself up, stumbled over to the edge of the balcony and peered over with her palms pressed firmly against the railing. A short distance away at the park, civilians were panicking, rushing to find the nearest escape to get home safely. Even though the sun was setting, Mayura was relentless as ever. Taking a moment to assess the situation, Marinette narrowed her eyes and firmly shook her head a moment later.

“But… This sentimonster is so powerful...” Mullo whimpered, gulping down the last bite of the cookie.

Turning on her heels, Marinette didn’t give in. “The last time I called on heroes to help...” Her words trailed off as she recalled a memory; one that even years later, she could never forgive herself for. “I can unify if needed.”

“Mmh...” Mullo still couldn’t break the hard shell that had formed over the once sweet, light-hearted and carefree Marinette. The little mouse knew when to stop trying, so she floated in silence by her owner’s side.

The now young woman slid down the small door to her bedroom, Mullo hiding in her jacket. The vibrant pink walls plastered in posters and pictures of her favourite person was something she missed every single day, but in an attempt to move on quicker, she had torn them all down and redecorated. For the most part, she had moved on… Although sometimes, his voice echoed deep in her heart. Taking in a breath to steady herself and push aside those staggering thoughts, she pulled her phone from one of her back pockets. Right on cue, the phone lit up and a picture of her best friend filled the screen.

“You must’ve read my mind,” she sighed into the phone, with a half-hearted laugh.

“Marinette, where have you been the past hour?! I’ve been going nuts trying to reach you!” Alya’s lecturing voice immediately hit the Dupain-Cheng girl’s ear, and while it used to be somewhat irritating, the superhero had grown used to it.

“That sentimonster had me trapped,” Marinette spoke, and while it wasn’t completely true… “Have you seen it? It’s been blocking off parks, forests, fields… I’m one of the lucky ones who got away.”

“Shit… That bad?” Alya was overcome with guilt. “Nora hasn’t let any of us out the house, so I haven’t had the pleasure of getting a video of it yet.”

“Don’t go putting yourself in danger, Alya,” Marinette was the one to scold her best friend now. That was also why Marinette had been hesitant to give a miraculous to Alya; the situation was becoming fatal. “If I lost you...” Her voice cracked. She couldn’t help letting those words slip out.

Silence hung between the two for a short while. “I… I’m sorry, you’re right.” It had been three years. Alya hadn’t exactly forgotten, but it had been so long that everything felt almost normal again.

Tears stung the corners of Marinette’s eyes, though she didn’t allow it to become apparent in her voice. “It’s alright. I only wanted to let you know that I’m safe. I have to go… My parents need me.”

The conversation had turned sour. Alya wanted to apologise over and over for messing up, but instead, she simply hung up after saying goodbye, knowing it’d be better to give her best friend some much needed space.

“Marinette…?” Mullo phased out of her owner’s jacket, twirling up and floating gently in front of her face.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. She momentarily shut her eyes, taking a single moment to grieve. One moment was all she needed. The world could wait just _one_ second. Sniffling lightly, her eyelids fluttered open and those painful thoughts had passed. “Alright. It’s time.”

Holding her head up high, she headed over to the box where she once kept her diary. Unlocking it with the special key, she flipped it open to reveal the Miracle Box, in all its red-spotted glory. No matter how much she felt like she didn’t deserve the title of a guardian any longer, the box was still her duty, and so she would carry it out for however long she needed.

“Which one will you be using…?” Mullo softly wondered, peering over the girl’s shoulder as the box clicked open.

When it revealed its contents, it was as bare as ever. Only a small collection of the magical jewels remained. The pendant of the mouse, which was in Marinette’s possession… The ring of the black cat, which was still in Chat Noir’s possession… Along with just the watch of the rabbit, the bracelet of the snake, the necklace of the dragon, and the pendant of the fox. A light grimace pulled at Marinette’s lips as she mulled over which one could help with an earth elemental sentimonster.

“I could pull it back in time with Fluff… Or maybe blow the thick vines to pieces with the air dragon…” Her forehead creased as she tried to come up with a plan. Was she losing the smarts needed to be a superhero? She found that she could never come up with plans half as good compared to her days as Ladybug; maybe the stress and pressure was becoming too much. Or perhaps the villains’ plans just got more and more complex.

Mullo could sense the agitated aura radiating from her owner, and so she lifted herself up and rested her tiny forehead against Marinette’s. “It’s okay… Take your time.”

Marinette lightly pressed her eyes shut, appreciating the warmth and love from her kwami. “Right...” She nodded. When Mullo pulled away, she found her head was a little clearer. “I think it’s time I tried the dragon. I’m sure I can utilise air to its full potential.” As she spoke, she clipped the necklace on, and the noble kwami Longg was summoned.

“Good day to you, Marinette-sama. I see you are in need of my assistance.” Longg bowed deeply, showing great respect to the guardian.

Marinette felt as though she didn’t deserve such respect, but nevertheless, she plastered on a smile. “That’s right. We have a powerful sentimonster whose goal is to cover the entirety of Paris in strong, magical vines. If it succeeds, Chat Noir and I will be forced to hand over our miraculous to the bad guys.” She despised how powerful Mayura had become in such a short time. She’d have to put an end to their reign of terror sooner or later.

“And there’s no way we’ll let that happen!” Mullo added, filled with determination.

Longg’s courage did not waver in the slightest, despite the odds being against them. “You have chosen wisely. You know what to say.”

“Mullo, transform me!” Marinette called out the magical words, and the necklace of the mouse begun to glow a brilliant pink. Her suit appeared in a flash – the costume was relatively similar to that of her first time as Multimouse, three years ago. As a conscious display of her maturity, however, her hair was styled into a simple single bun, her fringe still hanging down the sides of her face. “Ready?” She glanced at Longg, who gave a nod in response. “Alright… Mullo, Longg, unify!”

…

By the time the sentimonster had finally been floored, it was well into the middle of the night. Even then, the hard work was far from over. Without the use of Ladybug’s magical quick fixes, there was a lot of damage left over, including a dump of dead vines all over the city, buildings that had been crushed, injuries from being physically subdued by said vines… The list went on. What should be a peaceful night had been ruined by Mayura, who didn’t need to worry about the consequences at all. A crew of firefighters were taking care of stabilising out of place bricks on houses and shops, as well as rescuing and evacuating any families that were trapped inside. Along with that, a crew of paramedics were rounding up injured civilians and treating them on the side of the road, and taking in anyone who had severe injuries. Finally, a team of volunteers had gathered together to help clear up the vines and other mess in the streets.

Multimouse let out an exasperated sigh, eyelids growing heavy. A superhero’s work was never done, apparently. She regretted taking the magical ladybugs for granted in the beginning. It was so much harder without them, and guilt gnawed away at her as she watched everyone around her fix _her_ mess.

“Great work out there tonight.” Holding a steaming cup of coffee in his paws, Chat Noir casually waltzed over to the mouse hero, seeming a lot more upbeat than her. He wanted to help her feel better, knowing just how much she had struggled all these years.

“Mmh… Mm-mm.” She peered up at the kitty, before shaking her head. “You can have it. It’s alright.”

“As long as you’re sure…?” Chat shrugged, plopping himself down beside her on the bench. He gently blew the steam from the plastic cup, cooling it before pressing his lips to it and taking a small sip. “Meee-ouch, that’s hot…!”

‘How can he still joke around like that…?’ Multimouse thought to herself, narrowing her eyes and observing his silly, playful behaviour. She grumbled under her breath, lifting her knees up and hugging herself tightly. Pressing her forehead against her legs, she took a few moments to catch her breath. The cold night air was starting to get to her.

“Heh...” Chat softly chuckled at his own jokes, before setting the coffee down beside him. He tilted his head to the side slightly, much like a cat, and glanced at his partner. “Is everything okay, Multimouse?”

“Sure...” She lied, not wanting to expose her true feelings to the kitty. Her mind was a mess. Besides, he most definitely knew all the details already. There was no need for her to keep complaining and dropping her problems onto the mysterious masked boy. With a sigh, she kicked her legs back down and sat up straight.

“I know these fights are getting harder,” he mumbled, averting his eyes for a moment. As much as Marinette had suffered, Chat Noir also had his fair – or rather unfair – share of pain, too. His entire life revolved around being a superhero for the past three years. Whenever he needed to feed his kwami, he hid some place where absolutely nobody could see him, and was back out into the streets as a stray cat. There was never a time he could be his true self any more. “But I’m sure we’ll be able to find out where Hawkmoth and Mayura are soon.” Despite that pain… Marinette needed his comfort, and so he would provide it… He just wouldn’t be allowed to comfort her as Adrien Agreste. Chat Noir would have to be good enough.

Multimouse flicked her saddened gaze over at him. She saw the sincerity sparkling in those dark green orbs of his. His lips curled into a small grin, and for once, Marinette saw something different in him. However, that only hurt her even more.

“We kicked some serious butt tonight. We’re getting stronger,” Chat continued. As much as his heart yearned for his lady, he had to accept Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Multimouse, as his new permanent partner. Hawkmoth had never discovered Marinette’s identity the one time she was a temporary hero up against Kwamibuster; that meant she was safe. Well, the extent of his knowledge and knowing only went so far… “We’ll be strong enough to face them soon.”

Multimouse gave a small shrug. “I don’t want to think about it too much,” she quietly admitted. The headache she felt was starting to throb a little harder at the thought of the future and the fights to come. She desperately wanted to throw in the towel, but there was no way she could ever do so.

“You don’t look so good,” Chat pouted, noticing the feverish, exhausted look on the girl’s face. “I’ll take you home, okay? It’s late, you should rest. We’ll sort everything else out here.”

“No, no… I can’t expect everyone to do the work while I sleep,” Multimouse refused, holding a hand out and frantically shaking her head.

“Too late,” Chat flashed a toothy grin. He hopped up from the bench and within a split second, he had moved toward the girl and scooped her up in his arms.

“H-Hey-!” Multimouse, perhaps with too much influence from Mullo, let out a shrill squeak in protest, finding herself in the arms of the devilish cat. “Put me down! We have work to do!”

“Nope. You gotta rest.” Chat laughed wildly as he jumped up and crossed from roof to roof, holding the superhero close.

Soon, she finally stopped loudly protesting, but she still wasn’t too pleased with his actions. She avoided eye contact with him most of the way back to her house. Within a few minutes, Chat landed onto the balcony, and gently placed her back down. “Hmph…”

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Chat Noir smiled brightly, perching himself on the railing.

“Mullo, detransformation.” In a flash, her suit fell, and was replaced with her normal civilian self.

It had been a little while since Chat last saw Marinette as herself. Lately, he had become slightly enamoured with the sight of her true self; her short hair fell messily over her shoulders, and her bluebell eyes shined ever so softly in the moonlight. Mentally shaking his head, he scolded himself for having those inappropriate thoughts about her – especially since he devoted his heart to Ladybug.

“I can take care of myself, you know,” Marinette started to tell him off, folding her arms over her chest. “Everyone’s struggling to sort out the mess that I- that… that Mayura made…!” She tripped over her words, accidentally revealing her inner thoughts, and the rush of shock from being so careless left her speechless.

“Wait… Huh?” Chat caught that slip up, and wondered what she meant by the mess ‘she’ made.

“I...” Her eyes grew wide as the realisation kicked in. Chat couldn’t know about the mistake she made three years ago. If he ever found out she was Ladybug, he would be furious, without a doubt, for lying to him all this time. “I’m just...”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Chat softly said, hopping down from the railing and taking a few steps toward her. His voice shook with hesitation, and while she had a palm clutching at her forehead, he contemplated resting his hand on her shoulder to reassure her… But he didn’t cross that boundary, and instead opted to verbally comfort her once more. “A lot has happened, I get it. I… I don’t want to tell you how to feel or assume how you’re feeling, but… Just don’t blame yourself for any of it, alright?”

Marinette tightened her grip on her forehead, shoulders drooping. She clenched her fist at her side, knuckles whitening as she resisted the urge to break down in tears right then and there. To respect the privacy between the two, Mullo shifted down into Marinette’s bedroom. “It’s… it’s just… close to the day that Adrien...”

Chat chewed on his lower lip as he listened to her and watched her let her guard down. He hadn’t seen Marinette’s vulnerability like this before. Of course, he witnessed the progression of her downfall… How she shut herself in more often, how she lost that beautiful optimism of hers… He knew how much she valued Adrien Agreste as a close friend; how much his ‘death’ affected her. He barely escaped with his life on that day, and he knew for a fact she would never want to see him again if he revealed the truth. Being Chat Noir gave him a second chance at life, something many others would never have the privilege of.

“I understand,” Chat spoke in a hushed whisper, taking in a breath of courage and placing his hand onto her shoulder.

When he made contact with her, Marinette slowly tilted her head up to gaze into his eyes, with slightly parted lips. Her heart pounded in a way that she hadn’t felt for a long time.

“I know how special he was to you. But… I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself...” He tried to think of the right words to say. Oh, how impossible it was for Adrien to comfort someone who believed he was dead, when in fact he was right in front of her eyes. Besides all that, he had no idea why Marinette could possibly blame herself for his ‘death’.

“Y-Yeah… Sure, it was Hawkmoth, but…” Again, she stopped herself from revealing any more information. If only she hadn’t foolishly given Adrien the bracelet of the snake to permanently keep, after she gained the title of guardian… And if only Hawkmoth hadn’t been tracking the two of them… She cursed herself for being unbelievably stupid and clumsy; for letting her guard down and thinking she had shaken the horrible butterfly off her trail.

“Exactly. It was Hawkmoth. We’ll get our justice, I promise.” Chat sort of knew it was an empty promise. He knew Hawkmoth wasn’t the same man as three years ago; he made sure of that on the day he ‘died’. But despite that, he wanted Marinette to know he would go to any length to help her achieve justice and take this new Hawkmoth down once and for all.

Marinette herself could tell it wouldn’t be an easy thing to achieve. But for once, she’d just like to believe and have hope. Even so, defeating Hawkmoth and Mayura would not bring Adrien Agreste back. She lowered her eyes, thinking back to the first day she met Adrien. The night he stole her heart in the midst of a strangely beautiful thunderstorm. “I never got to tell him just how much I...”

Chat’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. He almost jumped back and pulled his hand from her shoulder in that very moment, but stopped himself before acting irrationally. Marinette didn’t even have to finish her sentence. In a split second, it became painfully obvious that she had been in love with Adrien. But that was just it. He wasn’t Adrien any more. Still, had he always been this oblivious? He stared down at her, heart thudding in his chest, seeing the girl in a different light.

“Well, he’ll never know now.” Marinette let out a bitter laugh, slowly shaking her head. Shyly trailing her glance back up, she only just noticed the way Chat was gazing down at her with… adoration?

Chat’s mind had gone blank. He didn’t know what to think, or what to feel. He was sure Marinette had been in love with Luka the entire time. He’d seen the two together just recently, on what he assumed had been a date. The only thing he did feel… was a pang of guilt, deep in his chest. He couldn’t possibly consider Marinette as more than a friend. He promised Ladybug he’d never give up on her.

“Chat Noir…?” Marinette quietly cleared her throat, hoping to catch his attention. Looked like he had his head in the clouds again, as usual. She figured he was thinking about his lady, with that lovestruck expression slapped over his face. But it was strange, as he was looking directly at _her._

“Huh? Ah, sorry!” Chat snapped out of it a moment later, letting out a nervous chuckle and finally pulling his hand from her shoulder.

“It’s alright...” She softly smiled. After all, he had lost Ladybug, just as she had lost Adrien.

“I-I should be going now anyway, huh?” Chat rubbed at the back of his head, taking a couple of steps back and flashing a panicked grin. The way his cheeks had flushed out of nowhere certainly wasn’t normal, and to avoid thinking about those odd feelings swirling in his stomach, he decided backing away would be best.

“Ah… Yeah, I should go to sleep, I guess...” Sleepiness had taken over her after letting such heavy emotions drag her down, so she no longer had a problem with taking a night off while Chat helped clean up. “I’ll be on cleaning duty next time, alright?” Hopefully there wouldn’t be a next time, but she wanted to take responsibility either way.

“Right!” Chat nodded, turning on his feet and hopping back up onto the railing, preparing to head off.

“Thanks for being here, Chat,” she called over to him, just before he set off. There was a certain strange warmth in her chest, one she couldn’t explain, but she appreciated it anyway. “Goodnight...”

Chat peeked over his shoulder for a moment and caught a glimpse of that breathtaking, genuine smile that she gave him. It was the first time in a while he’d seen her spirits lifted in such a way. It melted his heart, and while guilt still tugged away at him, he allowed himself a single moment of peace. “Goodnight, princess.” And with that, he extended his stick and dived away into the night.

“Wow...” Marinette didn’t even notice how hot her cheeks had become, until a blast of the cold night air gave her a better sense of awareness. As much as she still loved Adrien with every ounce of her being, she wondered if it’d be unfair of her to let Chat Noir give her such comfort. She was inevitably left confused and torn, and so, she headed down into her bedroom and instead decided to deal with it all in the morning.

…


	2. Carefree Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the early days of being a superhero, Marinette barely had a single care in the world. She fought hard at night, and powered through her days at school, laughing and playing around with her friends like any other normal teenager. However, sometimes, the pressure of having to balance her normal life and superhero life would be almost too much to handle.
> 
> After yet another late night of fighting evil, Marinette wonders if she'll ever be as confident and responsible as Ladybugs of the past. While she's not quite following the advice of the wise Tikki, Marinette decides that today is the day she'll take the initiative and grow into a more mature version of herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Note from 29/9/20, will be outdated in future but here it is presently.]  
> I'm sorry, some of you may be confused as to why I'm suddenly popping back in with a reupload of the second part of this series. Well, for a start, this year's been rough and it kind of sucked away all my motivation. I've been chipping away at other stories, making progress on those, but now the time has come to return to this AU. I decided to clump all these parts together rather than separately, by the way. I also had to take care of a glaring plot hole - oops. I've filled in those pesky holes though (I hope) and so I hope you all enjoy what's to come! I'm working on the third part now, so it shouldn't be too long before it continues. :)

The delicious, mouth-watering scent of freshly baked pastries and sweet treats wafted up from the kitchen into Marinette’s bedroom on an early Monday morning. It gently coaxed her from the land of dreams, urging her to come to her senses and wake up for yet another tasty breakfast. “Mmm… Croissaaaants...” she grumbled, rolling flat onto her back, her limbs all tangled up in the blankets from a wild night of more superhero action-packed dreams. Being the daughter of a baker had certainly given her a heightened sense of smell – or so she believed – because every morning without fail, that heavenly mix of scents always hit her nose, despite the ovens being so far downstairs.

“Ah! I’m late!” As though it was just normal at this point for her to oversleep, she jolted upright in her bed, arms flailing about madly, letting out a screech.

“Hehe! Don’t worry, Marinette. You’re actually up on time for once!” A sweet giggle filled the young girl’s ears, followed by soothing words. Her wise kwami friend flew up from the pillow and floated in front of her, smiling brightly.

“Oh… Phew,” she sighed in relief, calming her pounding heart. “I always get worried I overslept. Glad I’m safe this morning.” She chuckled along with Tikki, before sliding the covers off and slipping herself out of bed. Even though she had only just woken up, there was still a sense of fatigue lingering within her.

“Have you prepared everything for school, Marinette?” Tikki wondered. “You didn’t have any time at all last night to double check your bags. Did you pack in the evening yesterday?”

“Aaahhh...” A long yawn emerged itself from the girl as Tikki asked about a million questions; she was barely able to process anything the kwami was saying. The only thing that filled her mind were desperate thoughts of yearning, wishing she could have a normal sleep schedule again.

“Marinette!” Tikki waved her little arms in the blue-haired girl’s face. “You didn’t hear anything I said, did you?”

“Wah!” Marinette gasped, snapping out of her daydream – which consisted of snuggling back up in bed. She reeled back momentarily, dramatically chucking her arms up in front of herself. “N-No, I...”

The kwami let out a small laugh, slowly shaking her head. “I understand. I know it’s hard to fight Hawkmoth _and_ get a good night’s sleep at the same time. But, you should try to adjust a bit more… Your teachers aren’t going to know you were out fighting all night. They’ll be more concerned about you forgetting homework and important textbooks.”

Marinette offered a nervous smile in return, giving a simple shrug of her shoulders. It was easier said than done. Tikki had probably met so many Ladybugs that were more mature and responsible than her. Those Ladybugs most likely never forgot to do important things in their own personal lives. They could also probably manage to balance their civilian life and superhero life perfectly, and their sleep schedules never suffered. But Marinette was just a child. She wasn’t quite ready to grow up yet and take on that sort of responsibility. She knew she’d have to do so one day, but… “I’ll try harder, I promise.” She waved a hand in dismissal, putting on a confident grin to reassure Tikki she’d put in the effort.

Besides, it wouldn’t matter that much in the long run if Marinette Dupain-Cheng forgot a few bits of homework here and there, would it? By the time she was ready to move onto college, she’d absolutely have the whole maturity and responsibility thing down. It wasn’t like Marinette _didn’t_ want to put in the effort. It was just rather difficult to actually put into practice, considering the thousands of daily Marinette things to do, as well as the long list of superhero-y things Ladybug had to take care of.

Tikki puffed her cheeks out, frowning ever so slightly. She wanted to push Marinette into being more confident and efficient, and while she wanted to believe in her owner’s words, she hadn’t been entirely convinced. She understood Marinette prioritised her civilian life over Ladybug; she was a young girl, after all. But Master Fu wouldn’t be the Guardian forever. Tikki knew this well. However, she did not want to disrespect her owner, so she gave a single nod.

After a quick shower and brushing her teeth, Marinette got herself dressed for the school day. Scrubbing at her hair vigorously with a towel, knowing she was running out of designated time to get ready, she dashed around her room in an attempt to find her shoes and pull them on. Flicking her red hair ties around her wrist, she hopped downstairs into the main family room.

“Oh, there you are, Marinette! We were worried you were going to be late,” Sabine softly sighed, fussing over her daughter the second she stepped foot in the room.

“Hehe, ah… My bad, I couldn’t find my shoes…!” Marinette flushed with embarrassment. Even her own parents had to lecture her about the importance of being on time. She should already know this, shouldn’t she?

“Well, not to worry, my darling,” Tom piped up, his back turned to the two ladies as he gathered something on the kitchen counter. He spun around a moment later, presenting a pretty box of what could only be macarons. “Ta-da! I thought I’d bake a little something for you and your friends to share before school starts.”

“Oh, wow!” Marinette’s eyes sparkled. Not to mention her stomach rumbled in anticipation as she imagined how _amazing_ they would taste. “Thanks, Papa! You’re the best.”

“Don’t forget your school bag,” Sabine added, holding it out for her daughter to take. It seemed as though she had already packed most of Marinette’s things.

“You’re a lifesaver.” The girl gratefully took hold of her bag, and slipped it over her shoulder. Marinette took that as a sign she once again didn’t have time to indulge in a delicious breakfast. Well, she woke up on time for once, but getting dressed always took up so much of her time. With a half-laugh, she grabbed the box at last, and pecked her mother and father on the cheek, before twirling around to take her leave.

Tom wrapped an arm around his wife, the two watching their little girl head out again into the world on her own. She had certainly grown up fast, but she still had her clumsy tendencies every so often. “I’m so proud of my little girl!”

“Yes… By the way, do you think she forgot to tie her hair up? Or do you think she’s trying out a new free style?” Sabine grinned up at her husband, letting out a quiet giggle.

Marinette skidded to a stop at the crossing just outside the bakery, noticing that cars were still flying by on the road. The streets were bustling as usual, with people on their way to work or school; the sun was beating down onto the path below. With the cars racing by, she let her eyes slip shut for a moment to take in the sweet spring atmosphere.

“Marinette, are you sure you’re not forgetting anything?” Tikki peered up from inside the girl’s mini-bag, more specifically at the hair ties wrapped around her wrist.

“Hmm?” The baker girl truly was clueless, having no idea what the kwami could be on about this time. “Well, maybe there was some homework I forgot about… I don’t know.”

“No, I mean...”

“Don’t worry!” Marinette stood tall, sticking her chin out. “You’ll see just how responsible I can be today.” While she wasn’t ready to fully grow up yet, she _did_ have other plans for today.

…

It only took a few minutes to get to school from her house, yet Marinette had intentionally walked a little slower this morning. Her heart thudded lightly in her chest, nerves welling up in the pit of her stomach. So much for confidence and responsibility. “I can do this… I can do this…!” She gripped the ends of the box tighter in her palms, as a way to steady herself from the slightly dizzying anxiety she felt.

“Marinette? Is everything okay?” Tikki couldn’t tell what was going through the girl’s mind this time.

She was stood at the bottom of the steps which lead inside the school, staring down at her feet, lost in thought. The fatigue from earlier had completely melted away as she concocted this ‘genius’ plan of hers. This was something she’d had in mind for the past week – she wanted to plan every little detail, but at the last minute, she threw that away and took a more natural approach. Now that she was _actually_ about to go ahead with it, though… “Mmh… Okay! I got it! I’ll walk up to him, all casual. I’ll offer him one of these macarons. He likes macarons, right? Then I’ll say, ‘wow, this weather is gorgeous today! Perfect for a stroll in the park! Oh, you like strolling through the park, too? What a coincidence!’ And he’ll say-!”

“Marinette?”

In the midst of her crazy ramblings to herself, a familiar voice called out from behind her, instantly cutting off her words… and immediately, an overdramatic yelp followed as she snapped out of daydream land. “Waaaah!” Twirling around as fast as she could, she lost her grip on the box of macarons in her hands, completely forgetting they were there to begin with. They wobbled awkwardly as she made an attempt to get them back in her grasp, but that inevitably failed, and the box fell to the ground with a sad _splat._ She had no time to focus on the macarons. There he was, right in front of her eyes – in all his blonde-haired, beautiful glory – only just stepping out of the car and heading her way. “A-A-Adrien! Mood gorning, it’s you to see nice! Ahhh, I-I mean, it’s nice to see you!” The stammering began straight away. She lost her cool in a split second. All it took was one eyeful of her prince charming.

“Ah… Good morning...” He raised a brow, taking note of her unusual way of speaking, not to mention the frantic motions to make a grab for a box on the ground. He’d always noticed the way she freaked out whenever he was in the vicinity, but he didn’t think much of it. He would never make fun of her for it, anyway. It was endearing, in a way. “Here, let me help.”

“N-No, don’t worry about it…!” Marinette’s cheeks had turned a humiliating shade of dark red. She pulled her eyes from the boy, kneeling to salvage as many of the macarons as possible. More of her father’s work was ruined, all within a single second. “I’m so clumsy...”

Adrien grinned, shaking his head and assuring her. “It’s alright. These things happen,” he softly spoke, kneeling with her a moment later to take hold of the box, while she recovered the sweets that hadn’t been crushed. “It’s a shame about these macarons. They look so tasty.”

“Hehe...” Marinette could only let out a sheepish laugh, at a loss for words. She always became so tongue-tied whenever she saw him. She wanted to stay as calm as possible for something as serious as confessing her undying love for him, but unfortunately, it would never be that easy.

When Adrien curiously trailed his eyes up to take in the appearance of his friend, he was surprised to see her hair hanging freely over her shoulders. He wasn’t sure how he saw that when he first set foot out of the car, but for a moment or two, his words got all caught up in his throat at the sight of her. “Hey… I’ve never seen you with your hair down before...” He was able to finally get some words out, breaking the silence between the two.

Marinette’s eyes grew wide upon hearing that. “H-Huh…?” Setting one of the macarons down into the box, she lifted a hand up and made a grab at where one of her pigtails should be. However, her fingertips were met with loose strands of hair. She ran her fingers through the soft locks, sucking in a gasp. “A-Ah…! I totally didn’t know...”

Adrien held back a snicker. Not a teasing one, of course. But the way her eyes sparkled and her lower lip trembled as she became more flustered… He found it oddly amusing, in a way that made his heart flutter. There was a certain glint of pure innocence in her soft blue orbs… Something he’d never noticed until now. “Here… Sorry I couldn’t retrieve more of them.” He softly snapped the box shut, only a few remaining, before standing and holding a free hand out to the girl, who was in the middle of grabbing a fistful of her hair to tie back up.

“Hmm…?” One of her hair ties was stuffed a small bit into her mouth as she started tying, so she could only give a muffled whisper of curiosity as she looked up to him. Both of her hands were currently in use, so for a second, she hesitated. Adrien Agreste was holding his hand out for her to take. She loosely tied one of her pigtails in a hurry, and finally extended her hand to press on top of his.

“There you go...” Adrien didn’t mind waiting a few moments for her to overcome her shyness. He tightened his hand around hers and with a strong, secure grip, helped her back on her feet.

“Ah… Th-Thank you, you’re so kind!” Marinette stuttered, tripping over her words again. She only just fully realised what was going on, so she yanked her hand from his, not wanting to make a fool of herself any longer.

Adrien was ever so slightly confused at the way she pulled away from him out of nowhere, but he decided to shrug it off. “It’s no problem.”

“I… I, ah...” Marinette lightly scratched at her cheek with a fingertip, wondering if she should still go ahead and ask him to go on a date. All the speeches she planned so eloquently in her mind had faded into an unintelligible mess. However, she wasn’t even given the opportunity to decide. The sound of the bell rang out rather loudly, stopping her just before she opened her mouth to speak. “Mmh...” A pout pulled at her lips. Lost her chance again.

Adrien figured Marinette wanted to spend some time with him as a friend, which would explain the defeated expression pulling at her features… And the bell ringing, indicating the beginning of the school day, must’ve knocked her confidence a little. “Would you like to walk to class together?” He offered in a sweet tone. He wasn’t quite sure where he stood with Marinette. He considered her a good friend, and there had been times where she seemed to feel the same way. Although, in times such as these, when she acted all shy and like she was uncomfortable around him…

“Ah? Y-Yeah…!” Marinette instantly brightened up at the offer, relieved that she didn’t have to be the one to ask and possibly be rejected. When he gave her that heart warming, sincere smile… She melted all over again. The two of them headed up the steps together, Marinette tying her hair up at last. Perhaps she wasn’t meant to confess her love for him just yet. She took the bell ringing as a sign to be patient; maturity and responsibility would come one of these days, and when it did, that was when she’d take her chance.

For now, she was fully satisfied with being Adrien’s very good friend. She hoped small moments such as these, walking into school together with the warmth of the sun shining down on them, would last forever.


	3. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Marinette's fifteenth birthday, at last. To her, celebrating and having delicious cake is the last thing on her mind. She has far more important things to focus on, such as leaving the house for a longer period of time than before - but Luka is already one step ahead, wanting to ensure she has a good time, even if it's only for a little while. With the help of her remaining circle of friends, Marinette is given a small push in the right direction to becoming her normal self. However, that night, the unexpected happens. Her confidence from earlier in the day is shattered to pieces. She's crushed, convinced she'll never truly be able to recover ever again.

“Oh honey, are you sure you’re ready?” The worried tone of a loving, protective mother broke the silence. She hadn’t intended to doubt her daughter’s decisions, but this was a huge step.

The Dupain-Cheng girl, with a weakened smile, forced down her nerves with a quiet gulp. She stood before her parents in the cosy little living room, hands idly resting by her sides, but her fingers tip-tapping against the fabric of her pants. “Well,” she spoke dryly, and immediately swallowed again to clear her throat. “It’s only a short walk into the park. I’ll be back in an hour or so, probably...”

Her father had his arm wrapped around his wife, the most concerned Dad-Expression possible pulling at his features. “Now, Marinette – I don’t want you rushing yourself into this. You seem very nervous right now. Maybe we should try again in a few weeks, hmm?” He was freaking out more than his teenage daughter, and while his concern was definitely sweet, he had gone a little overboard.

“Tom, darling...” The smaller woman wrapped in his tight, anxious grasp, scolded him quietly, urging him to ease off.

“I...” Marinette rubbed at the back of her neck, lowering her eyes. Hadn’t her dad said nearly the exact same thing _a few weeks ago?_ She tried to push off the grimace starting to pull at the corners of her mouth. She appreciated how much they cared about her, but she had waited around long enough. She sucked in a deep breath, lifting her glance back up to her poor, flustered parents. She thought back to a time before all this happened. A time where she was simply bursting with energy, confidence, and radiated nothing but positivity wherever she went. It was hard for her to believe that was just less than a year ago. How did things change so fast?

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Tom sheepishly chuckled, loosening his tight hold of Sabine, with a light grin. He then addressed his daughter, repeating an apology to her. “I thought I could keep you safe in here. But you have to go out and spread your wings again sooner or later.”

“That’s right. And the doctors _did_ recommend we’d have to progress to this next step eventually,” Sabine sighed softly. She wiped at the corner of her eye with the back of her finger, keeping her lower lip from quivering too much.

“Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. I’m glad you understand.” More importantly, the baker girl was relieved it didn’t take all that much to convince her parents. She wasn’t quite ready to sell herself and give a speech as to why she felt ready to leave the house again. She just knew it was time. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way back?”

Her parents nodded, clearly reluctant to let their little girl go, but they didn’t say another word as she turned around and made her way through to the bakery.

She hopped down the stairs, circling her way ‘round the staircase, before pushing open the door. Her parents would most likely be heading back down to the bakery themselves in a minute, but not before having a mutual freak out, or so Marinette guessed. As nervous as she felt, she had also anticipated this moment for a long time.

She finally came to the front door, the only thing separating her from the outside world. Bracing herself, she dramatically screwed her eyes shut and began to push at the door…

“Special delivery.”

“Huh?” With the door now open, she was finally hit with a rush of all sorts of outdoor noises, all still _incredibly_ foreign to her. However, the sound of a voice that was definitely familiar hit her ears, and so she cracked one eye open. “Oh…!”

Stood there – or rather, parked there on his bicycle – was the blue-haired, soft-hearted Couffaine boy. Marinette saw he had no deliveries stacked up in the basket on front, after she opened her eyes properly again. “Heh, sorry, I don’t actually have any pizza…” It had been so long since she last heard his voice. That silky, soothing voice put her mind at ease, even if only for a moment...

Marinette’s heart thudded lightly in her chest. It was a pleasant surprise to have him show up at her doorstep, but at the same time, her subconscious was building itself up to scream at her, insisting she was absolutely not ready to spend time with anyone else yet. She plastered on a big grin, giggling along with his words.

“But I heard it’s somebody’s birthday today,” Luka continued.

“Ah...” He had remembered. She wasn’t even sure if she’d gotten a happy birthday text from her best friend. Then again, she never checked her phone all that often these days. How sweet of him either way. “You… came all the way here to…?” She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, prepared to melt at his kind nature.

“Quite the coincidence that we bumped into each other like this,” he chuckled, which only brightened Marinette’s warm smile. He enjoyed making her happy. “I thought you might like to come on a little adventure.”

“A-Adventure?” She repeated, her grin twitching just a small bit. She didn’t like the sound of that. Or rather, she _loved_ the sound of that, but this was a literal last minute call. She told her parents she’d only be going for a walk around the park. That was what she told _herself_ for the past month! “I… I, uh… Luka, that’s so sweet, but...” She felt a tinge of guilt as she braced herself to let the boy down. Those days of confidence were long gone.

His soft smile dropped, yet only out of concern. He knew Marinette had been in a bad way, and for a moment, he cursed himself for being so foolish. Of course she wouldn’t be that much better in such a short space of time. Right? “I’m sorry, Marinette. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Ah… N-No, you didn’t…!” She frantically shook her head, wanting to reassure him that it was alright. She paused for a moment after that, finding herself looking into his eyes. Those genuine, sincere eyes… Ones which almost reminded her of… “I’m sure it won’t hurt to go for a little stroll?”

Not entirely convinced that she was okay with it, he made a point to double check that she was really ready. “Are you sure?” He didn’t want her to be pressured into it, after all.

“Sure as I can be, mhm!” She nodded, putting on a fairly confident front. It was time for her to step out into the real world, even though a hint of nerves were bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, you’re in luck.” Seeing that she was okay with it, a sense of relief washed over him. He gestured to the basket attached to the front of the bicycle.

“Hmm…?” Curious, she peered in, and caught sight of a spare helmet. Her eyes widened a bit. “Are you _sure_ it was a coincidence we bumped into each other?” She teased him, but not too much.

“Of course. I always carry a spare helmet. You know, just in case.” Luka casually played along, watching as she pulled it from the basket.

“A spare that’s pink?” She snickered, pressing him in a playful manner. When he gave a simple nod, she held eye contact for a moment or so longer, pretending to be all analytical and judging. Then, she blinked, deciding to believe his little story, despite the truth being obvious. “Good enough for me.” She shrugged, putting the helmet on and hopping onto the seat behind him.

Luka could feel the rush of a familiar warmth to his cheeks when she finally broke eye contact; to him, it felt as though those few seconds lasted forever. He released a silent sigh of relief when she took a seat. Their little back and forth a minute ago was fun, sure, but he didn’t want her to know he had spent a _long_ time planning that ‘surprise’. So far, so good.

“So, where are we going…?” Marinette filled the silence with some small talk. It helped calm her pounding heart ever so slightly.

He almost didn’t hear her over an influx of different worries of the day ahead filling his mind. Snapping himself out of thought, he put on his usual cool composure, glancing over his shoulder to answer. “How do you feel about tracking down André?”

“O-Oh…?” She stumbled a little upon hearing that name. An uncontrollable thought of Adrien flashed in her mind for a split second. Her face had probably drained of all colour, as if she’d seen a ghost. But she was quick to shut it down, plastering on a smile. “That sounds great, Luka.” After all, it was _just_ ice cream, wasn’t it?

He flicked his glance back to the road ahead. A troubled frown briefly pulled at his features. ‘Shoot… Maybe it was too early to suggest that after all…’ he thought to himself, only now realising he may have come up with the worst possible plan. He had no idea what to say to comfort her, though. “Are you sure?” That was all he could do – make sure she was alright with the plan. “We could go somewhere else…?”

When he turned to look at her with those soft, understanding eyes, she knew she couldn’t be rude and turn him down. She told herself she had to move on sooner or later; not that she wanted to rush into anything with Luka, but rather, that she’d have to be comfortable being his friend eventually. Friends shared ice cream, didn’t they? It was normal. She repeated that in her head a few times.

“No, it’s alright…” She shook her head, accepting the offer of ice cream. No one could ever replace _him_ in her heart, but she at least had to move forward and strengthen her existing friendships. Swallowing down her nerves, she flashed a smile. “Come on, let’s go.”

…

“Mmh…” A soft, melancholy sigh passed Marinette’s lips. She slipped her eyes shut for a moment, taking some time to acknowledge how far she’d come. The cool breeze and nostalgic, refreshing scent of the Seine... Stepping out of her comfort zone was undoubtedly intense, but she found herself coping well enough. Having Luka by her side helped immensely.

The blue-haired sweetheart gave her a few moments to herself, recognising she needed to take some time to keep herself grounded. After that, he thought it’d be fine to speak up. “Is everything alright?” He felt a little bad for constantly asking that question; the answer was likely obvious, and perhaps she’d grow fed up of it. The last thing he wanted was to come across as annoying, yet he felt somewhat obligated to make sure she was handling her surroundings without any problems. If anything went south, he’d have to take care of her.

She took in a deep breath, and opened her eyes upon releasing a second later. She was greeted by the lovely sight of the calm waves once more. “Mhm,” she responded, grateful he took the time to check up on her. She’d finished her simple vanilla cone a short while ago, mostly in silence, watching the world go by.

Luka understood there was no point in filling that silence with empty small talk. She would speak up whenever she was ready. He was calm and patient as always, just happy to be spending time with the one he admired. While she gazed longingly ahead at the beauty of the Seine, he found himself glancing in that direction, too, only slightly to the right, fixating on another kind of beauty. That look of pure bliss and relaxation… melted his heart.

“I forgot what it was like…” The girl mumbled, thinking out loud.

“Hmm?” He could take a guess at what she meant, but he asked her anyway.

“Oh!” She seemed surprised, wondering for a split second when and how Luka became a mind reader. Blinking rapidly, she realised. She turned to him with a sheepish grin. “Aha… I just… I forgot what being outside felt like. I didn’t know how much I missed it until now.”

“Mmh, I know what you mean,” he said, nodding along with her. He averted his eyes toward the water. The shy little grin she just gave him was enough to make his heart skip a beat. There was no way he could maintain eye contact without his cool confidence wavering.

Blissfully unaware, Marinette trailed her glance up to the clear sky. How long had it been, she wondered. Every day and night, cooped up in her bedroom, she could never muster the energy to take a breather up on the bakery’s balcony. Although her parents encouraged her to stretch her legs and distract her mind down in the kitchens, she still never got to truly appreciate the wonder of a bright blue sky like before. And now, being free from that cramped cage of anxiety, taking a step toward becoming herself again…

From just one glance, Luka could tell what was running through her mind in that moment. The soft sparkle of tears growing in her eyes became apparent to him, too. He paused for a second, mulling over what he should do to comfort her – or if he should even try anything at all. He figured it would be best if he didn’t fuss over her too much, in the end.

After all, her tears were of joy and bliss. No intervention was necessary; all the girl needed was one single moment to revel in all the progress she’d made. She slipped her eyes shut, released a big sigh of relief, and opened them again. “Sorry. I’m okay now,” she said, with a small laugh.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he softly replied, in a reassuring tone. As though he just remembered something important, he made a grab for his phone in his jacket pocket.

Marinette watched his movements with slight curious eyes; she wondered if he had to suddenly leave or something… Or worse, he was just being polite all along and had now grown bored of putting up a sympathetic act. She couldn’t stop her mind from jumping to dark conclusions. “Ah…?”

He was only making a quick check of the time, however. “Is it alright with you if we stop off at one more place?”

“Oh…” Her cheeks darkened a little. Of course, she was relieved to hear he wanted to spend more time together… But she scolded herself in her mind, knowing she was in the wrong to assume those bad things in the first place. “Y-Yeah!” She frantically nodded, agreeing to continue on, desperately hoping he didn’t pick up on how flustered she’d become.

Of course, Luka definitely caught sight of the light pink dusted across her cheeks. He just didn’t say anything about it – mostly because he found himself gazing at her in nothing but pure admiration. In fact, he almost forgot all about the next phase of his plan. _How could she be so darn adorable?_ “Mmh…!” He snapped back to reality. Thank goodness he had only _really_ been gawking like a fool for about a split second. “I was thinking, um… We could take a walk around the park.” He pulled himself to his feet, casually throwing out that suggestion.

“Hmmm…” She hummed thoughtfully to herself, debating on whether or not that would be too much. “Well, my initial idea _was_ to visit the park…”

“I guess I’m a mind reader after all,” he chuckled, before leaning down and offering a hand to help her up.

A teasing smirk pulled at Marinette’s lips in response. “I knew it.” She gave a nod in affirmation, and then gently placed her hand on top of his. When he securely tightened his palm around her fingers, she felt a spark of sorts, which she hadn’t experienced in the longest time. That little teasing grin faded, melting into a twisted, confused look of embarrassment. “Th-Thanks…” She stuttered a bit when Luka lifted her up.

With that, the two hopped back onto the bike and enjoyed a ride through the streets, over to the park. It didn’t take Luka long to get from one point to another, even at a leisurely pace, which gave them time to make some more small talk. When they finally arrived at their destination, the blue-haired boy put the plan into motion, at last.

“Hold on a sec, Marinette.” Just as she got off the bike and prepared to head through the gates to the park, he stopped her in her tracks.

“Hmm?” Blinking in curiosity, she turned to face him.

He took a few steps toward her, and all of a sudden, propped his hands onto her shoulders. “I need you to close your eyes and trust me.”

“H…Hu...huh…? What? What do you mean?” Immediately taking the situation _way_ out of proportion, Marinette flared up, jaw dropping and eyes pretty much popping out of her head. She squeaked out those words, staring up at Luka. “W-Wait, not… not now, I’m not ready…!” She protested, squirming in his grip.

“You trust me, don’t you?” He offered her a heart-warming grin, in the smoothest manner possible.

She grew hesitant, heart thudding in her chest. “Y-Yes, I do…!” Without realising, she’d clenched her fists at her side, her body all tense and stiff. She stuck her lips out in a pouty, preparatory sort of way, and screwed her eyes shut.

With her eyes now closed, Luka could finally let out a silent snicker, dropping the serious act. Poor Marinette really got the wrong end of the stick. Still, he’d never directly tease her for that. Composing himself, he tightened his grip on her shoulders a bit more, and… simply turned her toward the gates.

“E-Eh…?” When the thing she expected to happen _didn’t_ happen, she had a sudden urge to open her eyes again. “What’s going on?”

“That’d be telling…” He laughed lightly, before reminding her to keep her eyes closed. “Go on, start walking forward. I gotcha.”

“Ah… Right…” That was again she’d made a show of herself. She gave a defeated grunt, and began to take small steps forward. Blindly setting her feet down in all different spots was, naturally, a bit of a challenge for her. She shuffled rather awkwardly, despite knowing he wouldn’t let her trip over.

It took quite some time, and an ounce of encouraging words from Luka, but eventually, they stopped at a certain point within the park.

“Are we there yet?” Marinette asked, for about the fifth time already.

Not that he minded, or anything. He released his grip on her shoulders, setting his arms back at his side. “Yeah. You can open them now…”

Curiosity had been gnawing away at her the entire time, her head filled with thoughts, wondering what could possibly be going on. All she could guess was that he’d planned a surprise gift for her somewhere in the park, but nothing could prepare her for what she would feel as soon as she slowly peeled open her eyes.

“Surprise!!”

A chorus of familiar voices and faces rushed at her, all at once. “O-Oh!” She gasped, a whole muddle of different emotions taking over. Stood before her were the only friends who stayed by her side during her darkest days. A small crowd, for sure, but they were the ones she cherished most in her life.

“Happy Birthday, girl!” Alya broke out into a huge grin, being the first to dash forward and smother her best friend with a hug.

Luka stood at her side, smiling all proudly. “Sorry for the delay… It was a bit of a task to get her here with her eyes closed,” he said, to the others.

“A-Alya…” Marinette could barely remember the last time she felt another’s warmth and comfort, aside from her parents. She reluctantly lifted her arms, lightly returning that hug, almost as if she had forgotten _how_ to do so correctly.

The brunette held onto her friend a bit longer than she should’ve. After all, she had missed giving her best friend hugs, too. “I’m so glad you were able to make it today.” She pulled back eventually, eyes narrowing as she smiled with sincerity.

“Y-Yeah, it’s… it’s all thanks to…” She gestured over at the boy beside her. He was a sneaky one, that was for certain. He played it all casual and cool since the moment they met up earlier.

“We prepared some food for you!” Rose beamed, presenting a simple white box in her hands. She gently nudged her girlfriend, as though reminding her to also show off the other box.

“O-Oh, yeah… it’s just some cakes and stuff, nothing too fancy…” On cue, Juleka murmured a vague explanation in her usual reserved tone.

The blonde nodded excitedly along, practically bursting at the seams with pride of their joint baking effort. “Mhm, mhm! They’re super tasty!”

“How would you know that…?” Juleka quietly wondered.

“Um…!” She froze.

Marinette softly giggled. Even though she felt glad to see everyone again, and witness all their unique quirks and humour once more, it was still a bit much for her to handle. She broke out into a cold sweat, pressure slowly rising in her chest like a balloon; a dizzy spell washing over her, something she’d experienced many times before. She played it cool, inhaling deeply and plastering on a smile, so her friends wouldn’t notice nor worry.

“Ah, and we can’t forget your presents…!” Alya interrupted, clasping her hands together.

“Oh? You didn’t have to…” Part of her thought she didn’t deserve their kindness. Their sweet words, their love, even their gifts. She sighed softly, accepting the fact that she had a long way to go yet.

“Nah, don’t even worry about it.” Nino reassured her, propping his hands on his hips.

“It’s your birthday, of course we gotta get you some goodies!” Alix piped up, in defense of those awesome presents.

The birthday girl in question rubbed at the back of her neck, smile twitching ever so slightly. While her friends spun on their heels to move over to the pile of presents behind, Marinette flicked her glance over at Luka. “Hey, um…” Her words trailed off before she even began. She wasn’t quite sure how to ask for his help.

“Is everything alright?” He pouted, concern taking over.

Somehow, he could read her perfectly yet again. “If I needed to get away early, do… do you think…?” She hated sounding so weak. So needy, and vulnerable. Even though she should’ve known there was no shame in asking for help every now and then. To avoid further embarrassment, she glued her eyes to the ground.

Luka took a couple steps forward, gently resting his palm on her shoulder. “I’ve got your back. No worries.” Internally, he was close to bursting. The fact that she relied on him during a tough spot was a great honour. He’d be sure to never let her down.

She trailed her sparkling eyes up to him, connecting glances for a moment. “Thanks, Luka…” She breathed a sigh of relief, her once tense body now relaxing.

He gave her a pat on the shoulder, and went to go join his sister and friends.

She watched the group for a moment, a pang of emptiness striking her heart. “If only…” she muttered, not brave enough to finish that thought. She clenched her fists in front of her, forcing herself to squeeze out some determination. “Alright! I got this.”

…

Darkness wrapped itself over the city of Paris once more; a light splash of silver illuminating where the street lights could not reach. All were sleeping soundly, something that months ago would’ve been a rarity. Ever since _they_ fell, the citizens no longer had to worry about terrors of the night. Some, however, still ached for the other side of that devastating loss.

In her bedroom, the young Dupain-Cheng girl stirred in her sleep. As much as she could distract her mind and trick it into a sense of ease during the day, the cruel night always tried to trick her into believing she’d made no progress at all.

“Mm… mmh…” Forehead creasing, she mumbled while asleep, a hint of hurt and desperation seeping through.

Outside, a horrible crashing and thudding rang out, piercing the peaceful silence of the night. Without a doubt, it signified the beginning of a new wave of unrest in Paris.

Marinette immediately jolted upright at the sound. “A-Ah…!” Her heart was pounding hard in her chest already, sweat starting to trickle down her forehead. She clutched at her blankets, chest rising and falling rapidly as she wondered if that crash was real, or all in her head.

She waited, quieting her panicked breathing as best as she could. If it were truly real, her parents would’ve come dashing upstairs to make sure she was alright. However, with each second that passed… No one came. The fear gradually subsided, but now, she was wide awake and had no desire to return to sleep yet.

With a light grunt, she slid the covers off and got out of bed. She stuck a pair of slippers on and made her way up to the balcony, wanting to take a much needed breather. When she poked her head out, the cool, fresh air rushed at her. “Ah…” Refreshed. She headed over to the railing, resting her arms on it.

As she suspected, nothing was out of the ordinary. Street lights spilled down onto the paths below the bakery; all she could hear was the occasional chirp of a bird. “Guess it was a bad dream after all,” she sighed, lowering her head and allowing her eyes to slip shut for a moment. She wanted to forget about the imaginary events that transpired in that vivid dream – to allow the cool night air blow lightly through her hair. But of course, when she did close her eyes, he flashed into her mind. “Adrien…” She solemnly whispered.

“Wuaaahhhhh!!”

“H-Huh?!” Out of nowhere, a harsh yell of distress hit her ears. She swiftly lifted her head back up, eyebrows raising, and caught sight of _something_ or _someone_ flying through the air at high speed. “Wha…?” It was as though the air had been sucked out her lungs when she thought she recognised them. There was no mistaking that black, full-body suit. The soft rays of the moon mixed with the harsh, unnaturally bright street lights made it all too apparent.

She flinched, recoiling as they collided with the ground just in front of the park. “That’s… No way…!” She gripped onto the railing to steady her now shaky hands, peering down over the balcony, unable to believe her eyes.

“Oof! Ugh, alright, you got me good that time… But you won’t be able to get me twice…!”

A cold chill ran down her spine upon hearing his familiar voice. That loud yelp could’ve easily been her imagination making her think it was him, but as soon as he became more vocal, she knew. “Chat Noir…” Her voice came out shaky, half-gasping.

She could only watch, stunned and frozen on the spot, as he pulled out his stick and extended it, wielding it like a bat before charging head-on into the danger. She darted her wide eyes over to the right a few feet, spotting another familiar face… Surrounded by pigeons. “N-No way…! Wah!” She slapped a palm over her gaping mouth, not wanting to attract any attention to herself.

It was over within a couple of minutes. Still, the fact that he’d allowed Mr. Pigeon of all people to land a decent swing at him… Well, Marinette didn’t have the time to be judgemental. The pigeon whistle was stomped on, and the kitty called up his Cataclysm to put an end to the akuma.

Marinette’s stomach was turning like crazy. Watching the fight, she felt detached from reality… Like she was just reliving a distant memory. She chewed on her lower lip, staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular. So many questions filled her mind, overlapping one another, desperate for answers… But she couldn’t bring herself to fully understand what happened.

“Everything is okay, Mr. Ramier…” Below, just across the street from the bakery, Chat wrapped an arm around the slouched victim. He spoke soothingly, offering a gentle smile.

“Oh… Oh my, what ever happened…?” He had his glance fixed on the ground in shame, but then something clicked. “W-Wait… Oh my! Chat Noir…?!” He instantly perked up, overcome with joy – a stark contrast from the confusion and regret a moment ago.

His cat ears lowered a bit from the sudden attention, a blush sneaking up on his cheeks under the mask. “I see you’re doing just fine. Do you need me to accompany you back home?”

“Oh, no no! I’ll be alright, thank you. But… You must tell me…! Where on earth have you been these past few months? And where is Ladybug?” Xavier gushed over the superhero, but one of those questions stung deep.

Marinette briefly heard it, too. Something began to prickle the corners of her eyes, chest tightening.

“Uh… I…” Chat had no idea how to answer. He averted his glance elsewhere; that just happened to be in the general direction of the bakery. That was when he caught sight of an old friend, at last. “M-Marinette?!” He called out, thrown off guard by her late night appearance.

“Hmm…?” Xavier looked between Chat beside him, and that blue-haired, trembling girl up on the balcony.

She couldn’t take it any longer. She made a dash for the hatch back down to her bedroom, without saying a single thing, guilt and panic overriding any other logical reactions. She quickly opened it, tears streaming down her cheeks. A moment later, she slammed the hatch shut and locked away the outside world, nowhere near prepared to deal with the consequences of that day.

What should’ve been a great birthday… A day where she made had the potential to make some progress… Ended up being nothing more than a reminder that she could never forgive herself.


End file.
